


Alphabets and Poems

by BiFelicia



Series: Prompts [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst with a Funny Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Danvarias Endgame, F/F, First Love, Fluff, Humor, Prompt Fic, Such brief angst, Supercorp endgame, We get there when we get there, but it's like, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2020-12-27 11:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21118286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiFelicia/pseuds/BiFelicia
Summary: "Sorry, the transmission has been acting up, I think the last valet went joyriding."And Sam freezes, because she definitely knows that voice.She doesn't notice Alex do the same beside her.Kara beams and turns around, throwing an arm around Lena's shoulders and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Hey, this is-""Lena."She turns to look at them and her eyes widen comically. "Oh, you're fucking kidding."Or in which time changes all things, and the world is smaller than anyone would like....





	1. Alphabets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GuiltilyPleasured](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuiltilyPleasured/gifts).

It was supposed to be a one time thing. 

Just to blow off some steam during finals after they'd both been kicked out of the library for fighting over the same book. Quick, dirty, easy.

Not generally words Alex likes associated with her, but whatever. She's exhausted and stressed and more than slightly horny, so the shift from shouting match in the quad at three AM to stumbling into a random dorm with her hands wandering an annoying stranger's torso and that same stranger's tongue in her mouth isn't an entirely unwelcome one.

Whoever this is finally manages to get her door unlocked, dragging Alex in by the front of her shirt. Alex kicks the door closed clumsily behind her, and tugs at the hem of the other girl's shirt. 

_"_Up," she pants. "Off."

"Are you always this bossy?" the girl snarks, hissing a bit as Alex bites down hard on her neck, "or am I just lucky?"

So yeah. It was supposed to be a one-time thing. For both of them.

But the thing is, engineering and pre-med tend to be stressful. And every once in a while, they bump into each other, and things just sort of… happen. Again, and again, and again.

They're both running from something, burying it in each other as deep as they're able when they don't know each other and don't really care to. Nothing against Lena, of course- she seems great, and she fucks like a champion, but Alex isn't particularly interested in making friends with the girl she sometimes sleeps with. She doesn't need to care about anyone else- she's already hiding from the people she loves the most.

***

"What's got you all worked up? It's not even midterms," Alex gasps.

Lena looks up from what she's doing and flips her ponytail over her shoulder, visibly annoyed. "Are you _complaining...?"_

"No," Alex snorts, shifting and pushing a bit until Lena's attention returns to where she actually wants it. "Just surprised- _Jesus, Luthor_\- just, kinda, I dunno, concerned?"

Lena huffs, resigning herself to having to talk for a second. "Look, Alex, I appreciate the effort and all. And no offense intended, but… that's really not what you're _for_. I have friends to talk about that stuff with, and that's not what _this_ is. I don't need pity or 'concern' from my fuck buddy. Alright?"

"Yeah, alright."

"Good. Hang onto something."

Alex doesn't ask any more questions. Or, at least not any more coherent ones.

***

"So. Graduation is tomorrow."

Lena rolls her head to look at Alex and smirks. "Getting sentimental on me, Alex?"

Alex snorts, flopping onto her back. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good."

"Just, uh, it's been… fun?"

Lena laughs. "I can agree to that."

"You're- I know we're not friends, or whatever, and neither of us really wants that anyway, but… you're gonna do big things, Lena. Shake the whole world up."

"Thanks. You will too, if you're half as good with your hands in surgery as you are when you're with me."

Alex laughs aloud. "I'm better, actually."

"Chalk me up as jealous. So, you're off to National City."

"Yup. NC Gen. And you're gonna be in Metropolis."

"I am. Let me know if you're ever in town."

"Why, you gonna wanna catch up?" Alex laughs.

"No," Lena scoffs. "I'll be working crazy hours and I'll want to get _laid_. "

Alex shakes her head. Lena really is something else. "I'll keep that in mind."

It's funny. In another life, she and Lena would probably be good friends. They get along well enough. She's funny, smart enough to keep up with Alex, but there's just… Lena has walls and Alex honestly doesn't care enough to scale them. Nothing against her, or anything, but it's not part of the deal, not what either of them want. So it's actually okay, that this weird, good (?) thing between them is coming to a close. There are no hard feelings, just an odd sort of affection, at least on Alex's end.

Honestly, even after almost two years of… _this,_ during high-stress periods, Alex still has no clue what Lena's thinking.

Case in point, Lena's suddenly on top of her, pressed flush with Alex from ankle to collarbone. "So, how set are you on _walking _across the stage tomorrow?" Lena husks into her ear, nipping at her earlobe and rocking her hips up into Alex. "Because I have some _ideas…_"

Alex grins and drags her in for a bruising kiss.

Sure, it's absolutely time for this to come to its natural end, with them on as good of terms as they ever were. Both their futures are bright, after all.

But… what the hell? Things between them can be done in the morning.

********

"Hey! Careful!"

Kara's ears perk up at the panic lacing an unfamiliar voice. She peeks over the railing of the rickety guard tower to see a rather harried girl around her age chasing after a toddler, who seems intent on sprinting directly into the ocean. "Ruby, would you _slow down? _Ruby!"

"You need some help?" Kara calls down.

The other girl looks around before finally looking up, squinting against the sun. "Y'know, normally I'd say no, but… yeah. Yeah, I could really use a hand, actually. She's driving me nu- _Ruby! _What are you- spit out that sand!" Kara laughs and vaults over the rail, dropping to the sand below lightly. The other girl raises her eyebrows at this little display. "Quite a jump. I'm glad you didn't hurt yourself doing that."

Kara flushes lightly. "It looks higher up than it is." (It doesn't. In fact, the opposite is true. But I digress.) "I can help you carry that stuff, you kinda brought… a lot."

The girl sighs, shaking her head ruefully as she surrenders some of her burdens to Kara. "I know, I know, it's just… this is our first trip to the beach, and I didn't want her to get bored, or hungry, or sunburnt… kids are _exhausting._"

Kara laughs, pretending to heft the umbrella, cooler, and chairs. "Babysitting duty?"

"Oh! No, um… that one's mine."

Kara cocks her head to the side, studying the little girl screeching happily a few yards ahead of them as they trudge down to the water. "She's cute," Kara finally decides, not really sure what else to say that won't be weird. Or, weird-_er_.

The girl smiles down at Kara, and _wow_, she's tall. "She's _lucky_ she's cute," she grumbles, but there's enough love and lightness in her eyes as she watches her daughter that Kara can see it's just a joke. She's getting much better at this whole sarcasm thing. 

They finally reach a spot they seem acceptable, and Kara sets the things she's lugging down in the sand. "Well, there ya go. If you need anything else, just let me know, okay? I'll hopefully be bored in that lifeguard tower over there."

The girl grins. "Thank you so much. She's not usually such a little monkey, but it _is _the first day of vacation. What're you gonna do?"

"How long are you in town for?"

"Eight weeks."

"That's a nice vacation."

"Yeah, I haven't been on vacation in like, four years, so I had some time built up at my job. She's been begging to go to the 'big beach' for almost a year- I never should've let her watch Lilo and Stitch, I swear..."

Kara laughs, keeping a wary eye on Ruby and the few other beach-goers out and about this early in the day. "That's one of my favorites, so I'm gonna have to disagree about not watching it." She forcefully beats away the flood of memories involving her sister who still won't take her calls, half the time. "Are you guys staying here in town?"

"Yeah. You've got the whole sleepy beach hideaway thing going. Do you live here?"

Kara nods, smiling. "Since I was 12. My foster mom and I live over on Baker."

The girl grins. "We're staying over there! We rented a house from… crap, I'm so bad with names. She was nice, anyway. Gave us the house for the summer for like, _nothing."_

Kara nods. "Sounds about right. People around here are usually pretty great."

"So I'm learning," the girl says, smiling big and bright. 

Kara feels her her cheeks go red as her stomach does a stupid flip-flop thing, and she clears her throat. "Yeah. Um. I'm gonna be just… over there. Lifeguarding."

"We'll be here. Beaching."

Kara lets out a laugh. "Right. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Of course. What was your name? Sorry, I'm sure you told me, I'm just _the worst_ about remembering names."

"Oh, um, Kara. Kara Sorrel."

The girl- woman? No, just because she has a kid doesn't make her older- grins. "Pretty. It suits you." (If Kara thought she was red _before_) "I'm Sam Arias. The midget is Ruby."

Kara huffs out a laugh and sticks her hand out for Sam to shake. "Nice to meet you, Sam."

"Kara?"

She looks down to see Sam standing at the base of the tower, a sleeping Ruby on her hip. "Hey there!"

"So… funny story. My phone kinda died, and I don't really know how to get back to the house?"

Kara barks out a laugh, immediately cupping a hand over her mouth to stifle it when Ruby shifts a bit and murmurs in her sleep. "Sorry, that was rude."

Sam shakes her head with a sheepish smile. "No, you're right, this is funny. I just remember you saying you live nearby, so I was wondering if you could help me out?"

"Do you know the address?"

Sam sighs. "No, but I vaguely know what it looks like."

"Alrighty. Baker is… kinda long. Like, not 'spans several towns' long, but still long. My relief should be here in a few minutes, if you guys can hang out until then I can help you out, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"A lift? I usually walk the beach, but since you're going that way anyways…"

Sam narrows her eyes playfully. "You're not a serial killer, are you?"

"I am not," Kara confirms. "But if I was, I'd probably lie about it. Just saying."

"You're not helping yourself here, Kara."

Kara spots her fellow lifeguard plodding his way toward them, and hops down from her perch, landing in a crouch and popping lightly to her feet right in front of Sam.

"Please don't do that in front of my small human when she's awake. She will try to imitate it, and I'll have to kill you."

"Now who's a serial killer?"

Sam huffs out a laugh, shifting Ruby's dead-weight in her arms. "Ready to go?" 

"Yup! Andy's got this, right Andy?"

"Yeah, yeah, weirdo," he yawns, pushing past her to get to the stairs. "You better not have eaten all my Cheez-Its again."

"I would never!"

(She totally had. And would again.)

They load the 'excessive amount of beach crap' (Sam's words) into her little not-quite-a-beater sedan and set out, Kara directing them easily through the quiet little town. 

"And that's where everyone goes for ice cream, but it's a total tourist trap. The good ice cream is at Finn's over on Highwater."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, Finn's is the best! The owner is a super nice guy, and he holds a contest every month for someone to invent a new flavor. It's kind of a big deal to get picked."

Sam smiles over at her knowingly. "Have _you _been picked before?"

"Yup! Twice- peanut butter and jelly was the first one, and the other one was Mexican chocolate. There were like, dried chilies in a really dark chocolate, it was _awesome._ You're gonna turn right, up at the light."

Sam nods. "So, an ice cream aficionado and a lifeguard. You're a many-layered woman."

Kara chuckles shyly, adjusting her glasses. "Me? Ha, nah, I'm really not. I'm just kinda… there."

Sam frowns a bit before she brightens. "Well, I'm glad you were there, or else I'd have started the rumor mill off as the idiot who got lost her first day in town."

"We can't have that. Make a left."

Sam follows her directions diligently, and whoops quietly when she sees a familiar house appear. "Hell ye- crap. Heck yes! Thank you!"

"This is your place?" Kara asks, looking at the house with an odd expression on her face. 

"For the next eight weeks. Oh, crap, I need to give you a ride home! I've got our address now, so-"

"It's all good, I can walk home," Kara says with a grin, unbuckling her seatbelt and hopping out of the car.

Sam frowns as she follows suit. "Are you sure? It's really no trouble, I feel bad-"

"Sam, I promise, it's a short walk."

Sam's about to continue arguing when she hears Ruby sleepily call for her from her carseat in the back. "Alright, if you're sure. Thanks again, I really appreciate it."

"Of course! I'm a lifeguard- we're supposed to help!"

Sam grins. "Pretty sure that's just at the beach."

Kara frowns, seemingly perplexed. "Oh."

Sam snorts. "You're cute. I'll see you around?"

"Yup! I work, like, all the time, so just, y'know, come say hi at the beach. But, if you ever want, I could, like, show you guys around town? It's a nice place, and I'd hate for you to miss out on something just because we locals hid it."

"I'd really like that."

Kara positively beams, and Sam's attention is only pulled away when Ruby yells. "I should get her inside."

"Alright. I'll see you soon!" Kara lopes away, and Sam watches in disbelief as she bounds up the stairs of the beachy white house across the street and waves cheerfully before ducking inside.

She laughs under her breath, because of _course_ the pretty lifeguard lives across the street. 

Of course she does.

***

Kara stays true to her word, becoming their very enthusiastic tour guide around the sleepy little town. She brings them to Finn's, shows them the best place to fish off the pier, and, with Sam's reluctant permission, takes Ruby out on her surfboard and lazily paddles them around in the waves, much to the little girl's delight. She even joins them once or twice for movie night, invites them over to her own house in kind and if Eliza isn't the sort of mother every person needs to have, Sam doesn't know who is.

Which is just… it's shit, is what it is, actually, because Sam is not a cliche who falls for pretty blonde lifeguards who surf and eat ice cream with the sort of unbridled joy rivaled only by her toddler. Her toddler who _loves_ said surfing lifeguard.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

Fine.

So, after a month of smiling and laughing and lazy swims and sandy feet, Sam screws up all her courage, bunches Kara's red lifeguard hoodie in her fists, and kisses her for all she's worth. 

Single moms get a shot at a summer fling too, right?

Which, yes, apparently they do, judging by Kara's soft noise of surprise, followed by a big smile that makes her impossible to kiss as she wraps Sam up in her arms.

"_Yuck!"_ Ruby yells, clearly horrified by the sight of her mother kissing, even at the age of three.

They break apart, laughing and blushing and scuffing their feet in the sand.

"I was kinda hoping I'd get to do that," Kara admits, face flaming.

Sam grins. "Oh yeah?"

She nods, rubbing the back of her neck ruefully. "I almost did, like, a bunch of times, but I kept chickening out."

"Then I feel like that's on you."

Kara barks out a laugh, and they're back to normal, except for the way Kara shyly reaches over and links her pinkie through Sam's as they walk, aiming for casual and missing by a mile.

Sam sighs fondly, wiggling her hand until Kara's is clasped properly in hers.

She's ridiculous. 

***

Kara takes them stargazing a week or so later, and Ruby falls asleep almost immediately, lulled by the dark and the low sound of Kara telling stories about the constellations that Sam's never heard before.

It's nice, and almost perfect, and Sam hates that she's about to ruin it.

"Kara," she says quietly, stroking a hand over Ruby's head, "you- you know we have to leave, still, right?"

Kara turns, smiles a little sadly. "I know. I'm not… I won't do that movie thing, where I make a big deal and beg you not to, or whatever. I like you, a lot, but I know you've got a life to get back to."

Sam reaches out with her free hand, finding Kara's in the dark. "I like you too. For the record."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. Um, I'm leaving too, at the end of the summer. I got into NCU, so I'm moving there the first week in September."

Sam squeezes her hand. "That's _great_, Kara. Really."

"Thanks. I'm kinda nervous, but I think I'm ready, y'know?"

"Yeah. Good for you."

Kara smiles at her. "We can still, like, be friends and stuff, right? Even though I don't- you're not wanting to do long distance?"

"No, I'm- it'd be too hard, I think."

"Agreed. So, friends?"

Sam squeezes her hand again, grins over at her. "Friends. But, we've still got a few weeks yet, before we have to just be friends. Any ideas what to do with them?"

Kara smiles, and it's bright even in the dark. "A couple. How do you feel about Eliza babysitting?"

Sam giggles, agreeing that, _"That sounds like an excellent idea, how about tonight?"_ and shaking with silent laughter when Kara manages to choke on _air_.

They're gonna part ways, and it'll suck, but they're both gonna be just fine. 

Sam knows, somehow, deep in her bones, that it'll all work out.

********

They've been standing on the threshold of Sam's apartment for about ten minutes while Lena fidgets nervously in the decorative mirror Sam hung there, smoothing imaginary wrinkles and flyaway hairs that only she can see.

Finally, Sam has had enough. "You know she won't critique your fashion sense, right?"

Lena shoots Sam a pointed look. "First impressions are important."

"She's _nine_, Lena. And she already knows you."

"Still."

Sam sighs, catching Lena's hands in her own and brushing a kiss across her knuckles. "Please relax? We've all hung out, gone to the movies, all that jazz. She already really likes you, and you're already part of the family, you know that."

"I- we weren't _dating _when we did all that," Lena protests. "It's different."

"It's only different if you keep being _weird_, Lena. Ruby adores you, thinks you're the coolest person ever- god knows why."

Lena shoots her a glare. "Thanks."

"Please just relax, okay? Everything is going to be great. You're Lena Luthor, you charm billionaires out of their money for fun, I feel like you can handle a kid who already thinks you're awesome."

Lena huffs at her, but she's smiling, at least, so Sam decides to take the victory where she can get it. They make their way into the living room, where Ruby is doing something impressive with a character on the screen, making her flip and soar through the air with ease. Her character does a celebratory dance, music plays, and Ruby saves her game. She turns to Lena with a grin. "Hey, Lena."

Normal. Same as ever.

And Lena relaxes, just a little. "Hey, Ruby. What are you playing?"

Ruby launches into a ramble, which has Lena grinning and settling on the couch beside her, indulging the girl's excitement to share.

Sam smiles, pressing a kiss to Lena's temple and settling behind her on the couch.

This- _they_\- are good.

This can work.

***

"Sam, what are we doing, exactly? You're going to be late for work."

"Yeah, well, I have it on good authority that my boss is gonna be late too."

"Oh really?" Lena arches a brow, her expression of clear challenge ruined by the smile she's fighting. 

"Yup. In fact, I heard that she's not gonna be in all weekend."

This draws Lena up short. "What do you mean all weekend?"

Sam grins, sliding her sunglasses onto her face and throwing an arm across Lena's shoulders to continue steering her to their destination. "Yeah, craziest thing. Apparently her girlfriend- who I hear is just _stupid_ hot-"

"Could've stopped at stupid," Lena mutters, though her smile belies her words.

"-convinced her assistant to switch some things around, and she's taking the weekend off to go to the beach. What would you say to that?"

"I'd say that I hate the beach."

Sam grins over at her. "What if I told you that Ruby is staying at a friend's for a few days? And that I didn't want to spend the weekend in a cute little beach house all alone, miles away from everyone?" 

"Oh. Miles, you say?"

She leans down and presses a lingering kiss to Lena's ear. "And what if I told you that this place is _so_ remote that, well, I didn't see the point in bringing a bikini?"

Lena clears her throat, cheeks a bit pink. "Well, I'd hate for you to have to go alone."

Sam laughs, swatting Lena lightly on the butt and making her jump as she leads her to the car. "Attagirl."

Sam was right- this place _is_ remote, and right on the beach, too. It must've cost an arm and a leg to rent for the weekend.

But it's also _gorgeous, _all airy and bright, with soaring ceilings and smelling of sunshine and salt. Everything is dappled white and gray and palest blue, and paired with the floor to ceiling windows it lends the entire house a sort of dreamy, ethereal quality. 

"Wow," Lena breathes.

Sam leans against the doorway, smiling as she watches Lena. "Wow is right."

Lena turns, sees Sam watching her, and rolls her eyes. "Cheesy."

"You like it."

"No," Lena scoffs, clearly lying. 

Sam chuckles and pushes off from the wall, moving until she's standing in Lena's space. "Yeah, yeah. Happy anniversary, nerd."

Lena smiles into the kiss she offers. "Happy anniversary, love."

***

"Lena?" The apartment is dark, which Sam was expecting. She picks her way carefully through the space, collecting discarded clothes and (worryingly) wine bottles as she goes. "Lena!"

She walks into the bedroom and finds her girlfriend- or, at least, a lump on the bed that she _assumes_ is her girlfriend.

"Lena."

The lump shifts, and, sure enough, Lena's head appears through the mess of blankets and bedsheets, looking totally confused. "Oh. Hey."

Sam lets out a sound that's halfway between a laugh and a sob as she drops the laundry into the hamper and crawls up the bed. "Hey."

Lena blinks, seemingly taking in her surroundings for the first time. "We-were we supposed to hang out, today? I must've lost track of time, I'm sor-"

"No, hey, no, we- we didn't have plans. I was um… I'm kinda worried, about you. Haven't heard from you in almost a week."

Lena's eyes widen. "A _week_? No, I called you yesterday."

"Lena, hon, you called me last Thursday," Sam says gently, smoothing a few lank locks of hair from Lena's face.

"And what's today?"

"Tuesday."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." She cups Lena's face in her hands, presses a kiss between her brows. "Let's get you up, okay?"

"Yeah. Sam?"

"Yeah, baby?"

There's a stretch of silence as Lena's eyes fill with tears. "I don't think I'm okay. I really… _god_, I _really_ miss my brother."

And _oh_, how Sam's heart breaks at this. "I know, hon. I've got you, okay?

"I've got you."

She knew as soon as she watched the news. As soon as she saw Lena, with red-rimmed eyes and a stoic expression, talking to the press on the steps of LuthorCorp. She knew when Lena was in meetings for hours on end in the weeks after Lex's arrest. Knows when the calls become less frequent, the visits rare and the promises unkept.

She knew.

Sam has always known Lena so well.

So it's no surprise when Lena accepts the appointment to CEO of her family's company. 

It does seem to be a surprise to Lena.

"I don't- I never _wanted_ this. I'm not the one who's supposed to be in charge," she mutters. "But it was either me or my mother, and there are thousands of people depending on LuthorCorp and I just… I had to."

"I know," Sam says, because she does.

And she knows what's coming next.

Lena lets out a shuddering sigh. "The board… they want to move headquarters. Change the name, change our image. 'Distance ourselves', they said."

Sam swallows thickly, trying her best not to pick at her nails. "Where are you going?"

"National City."

"Oh. That, um. That's far. When do you leave?"

Lena swallows. "A month. I'm supposed to oversee the construction of our new sites."

And Sam knows what that means. "Right."

"Sam-"

"No, I- someone told me once they weren't gonna do 'that movie thing' where they beg me not to leave. So I won't do that to you."

Lena takes her hand, holds it tight. "God. Fuck. I love you, I just… I can't be here, and I'm not in a good place to begin with. You shouldn't have to take care of me."

"_S__omeone _should take care of you." Sam sighs, squeezing Lena's hand. 

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's still true. I mean it, Lena- when you're gone, when- when I'm not around, _let_ someone take care of you. I don't care if it's _Jess_. Just, let someone be there for you."

"I'll try." She lets out a shuddering breath. "I love you. I can't believe we're breaking up, right now."

"Wait, we're _what_?" Lena whips around, eyes wide and watery, only to see Sam giggling through her tears. "_Gotcha_."

Lena lets out a wet laugh, slapping at Sam as she curls into a ball to protect herself. "Oh my _god_, I cannot believe you did that. I'm already a mess, and you- you're such an _asshole_."

Sam laughs, wrapping Lena up in a hug. "I'm sorry, I had to, it was _right there_, and I am weak."

Lena tucks her face into Sam's neck, laughing and laughing until suddenly, she isn't laughing anymore. She's just outright sobbing, and Sam's arms are wrapped tight around her. "I don't- I don't have anyone left," she gasps. "I'm just… I'm sorry, I don't- I can't just… I don't have any family, now."

"Fuck that," Sam says fiercely, pulling away so she can look Lena in the eye. "_Fuck_ that. Ruby and I are your family."

"Sam-"

"No. Lena, I told you when we first got together, you're stuck with us, okay? And I meant it. This isn't gonna be one of those things where we say we'll stay in touch and be friends and then never do. You're my best friend. We were best friends before we started having sex, and we're best friends now. You're always gonna have me, okay? Just… not in the same way."

"But I _like_ the sex," Lena jokes, laughing even as she cries.

"Yeah, well, so do I. Too bad for us, huh?"

"Yeah," Lena says, eyes red and streaming with tears. "Too bad for us."

********

Alex sees the news about Lena Luthor taking over her family's company after her brother's downfall, sees her standing tall and steely-eyed as she addresses the press about the upcoming move to National City.

She pulls out her phone, clicks the contact she's never bothered to delete, and types up some sympathetic thing full of platitudes. Her finger hovers over the send button. She sighs and deletes the entire thing. She knows that Lena won't want to read something like this, and, well, like Lena had said, they were never really friends in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prompt from @GuiltilyPleasured who asked for a double date between the Danvers sisters and their new girlfriends.
> 
> Unbeknownst to any of them, however, there's more than a bit of history between them ALL of them.
> 
> It was meant to be a prompt for a ficlet and it absolutely got away from me, so I had to break it into two parts.
> 
> Title taken from a poem with an unknown source:  
"New friends may be poems but old friends are alphabets.  
Do not forget alphabets, because you will need them to read the poems"


	2. Poems

It's not every day that Sam has time to stop for coffee. Between her very busy, very active social butterfly of a child and her soon-to-be role as CFO of L-Corp, Sam generally has exactly enough time for a cup of crappy office coffee to be handed to her by her assistant as she walks through the door to her office, and doesn't emerge again until it's time to pick Ruby up from whatever practice or club she's at that day (right now, it's soccer). And then she'll shoot Lena a text to make her at least read the words _'Go home soon, idiot'_, even if she doesn't heed the message at all and only ever responds with the eye-roll emoji.

But, hey, at least she responds, these days. Definite improvement. 

So yeah, Sam doesn't have a ton of free time to spend waiting in line for an overpriced latte (and maybe a muffin).

So it just fucking figures that the one time she does, someone dumps coffee all over her.

"Shit!" she hisses, swiping helplessly at the scalding liquid soaking into her blouse.

"Oh, _fuck_, I am _so_ sorry!" Another hand, one clutching several napkins, joins hers in her quest, sopping up as much coffee as it can.

But, Sam knows it's no use. This shirt- and probably the skirt- is trashed. Much more concerning is the fact that that coffee _definitely _burned her a little, and that she is now _sticky_. 

The stranger is still wiping at her shirt, her mutterings a steady stream of apologies and obscenity. "_God-fucking-dammit_, I am _so_ fucking sorry, are you okay? Fuck, no, of course you're not, I ordered extra-hot, like an idiot."

Sam laughs lightly, grabbing the other woman's hands to stop them moving. "Really, it's fine! I'm… fine…"

And she is, totally fine.

But, unfortunately, so is the woman in front of her. Totally _fine_.

(Sam hates herself for the stupid joke, even though she's the only one to hear it.)

The woman is watching her with some concern in her dark eyes. "Are you _sure_ you're okay? I'm a doctor, so if you need me to I can totally check you out- _over_! I can check you over! Because I am a doctor!"

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm so good. Everything is all good."

"Yeah, aside from me spilling coffee on you and wrecking your morning," the other woman snorts. "Can I give you my card? Dry cleaning, on me."

Sam shakes her head with a rueful smile. "I think this thing is toast, honestly." At the doctor's crestfallen, puppy-dog look, she quickly amends, "But I never liked it anyway, so."

"Can I at least buy you a cup of coffee?" she offers. "I see you don't have one yet, and, um, I kinda need another one, anyway…"

Sam arches a brow as a grin stretches across her face. "What do you think about drinking it with me, instead of dumping it on me, this time?"

The doctor grins, blushes, and ducks her head in a nod before moving toward the line. She gets there, only to slap herself on the forehead and trudge back over to Sam. "So… what's your order, since I apparently took extra idiot pills this morning?"

"Venti caramel latte with a double shot."

"Right. I can remember that."

"I'd hope so, _doctor."_

A few minutes later, a large, steaming cup of coffee is plunked down on the table in front of Sam. "Giant caramel thing with extra go-juice."

Sam laughs aloud. "_Go-juice_?"

The doctor shrugs, sliding into the chair across from her . "That's what my little sister calls it. Kinda stuck."

"It's funny," Sam says, taking a sip of coffee and letting out an appreciative hum. It's perfect. 

"Yeah, she's a goof," she says fondly. "Oh, I'm Alex, by the way. Alex Danvers."

Sam extends a hand, grinning at the firm handshake she receives. "Sam Arias."

***

Late at night, after having spent a good chunk of her past several mornings drinking coffee slower than she ever has before (and only parting ways with Alex when she'd glanced at her watch and realized she had a class scheduled), Sam hesitates, finger hovering over the _Send_ button on her phone. She doesn't want to twist the knife, at all, and they're not… it's been over a year. She's allowed. And Lena has been telling her to get back on the horse. They're _friends_. Friends talk about this stuff. 

Still.

She sighs, hits send.

Lena   
  
**TODAY** 7:46 pM    
I think I might have met someone...?   
  
Do tell!!   
What's their full name?   
NO   
No stalking   
Stalking is such an ugly word…   
And yet totally applicable here   
Fine   
So are you going to tell me about this, or do I have to guess...???   
Her name is Alex, she's a doctor   
Does she play doctor with you?   
Having slept with a doctor before, I highly recommend it   
They're great with their hands   
Maybe I should look her up...   
I WISH, but no, we’re taking it slow   
She’s annoyingly considerate   
And smart   
And, get this, she works for the FBI   
Like, actually works for the FBI   
As an agent   
She showed me some takedowns she demo'd for a training video   
And WOOF   
Well this seems hardly fair   
Where's my hunky genius?   
I am a good person, usually   
And I deserve to get screwed by a hot doctor too

Sam laughs, relief bursting in her chest.

She was totally right. Lena is, and always will be, her best friend. 

Lena   
  
I am a good person, usually   
And I deserve to get screwed by a hot doctor too   
**TODAY** 7:58 pM    
Alright, nerd   
Tell me about how geeked you are to go to space next month   
  
!!!!!!

********

Lena is having a _hell _of a morning. Well, still the night before, sort of, as she hasn’t actually managed to get any sleep… 

First, she’d had to back out on her trip aboard the Venture, due to some stupid nonsense about permits that she’d spent the entire night greasing palms over. She’d been loathe to miss an opportunity like that, but it seemed that for once, fortune had smiled on her, as the Venture had exploded, and a part one of her subsidiaries had made was apparently to blame. She's been on conference calls and in emergency meetings since before dawn, she hasn't had a _single_ decent cup of hot coffee, though Jess has certainly been trying to give her one.

And now, now _Clark_ goddamn _Kent_ is in her office, without an appointment. Holding a cup of steaming-hot, delicious-smelling coffee and sipping from it. Mocking her in her decaffeinated state.

Great.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Kent?" she drawls.

"I just have a few questions for you," he says blandly, sipping from the cup with a smile.

"About what?"

"The Venture explosion."

She snorts lightly. “You and every other reporter in National City. And none of you would be bothering if my last name was Smith.”

He shrugs noncommittally, the same bland smile on his face. “Oh, but it’s not- it’s _Luthor_.”

She huffs. “There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why I wasn’t aboard yesterday. There was an issue with a ceremony I’m planning for tomorrow- a rebranding of my family’s company.”

He smiles. “Well that’s lucky.”

“Hardly. Lucky is that Superman was there to save the day."

His head tilts curiously. “Not something I’d expect a Luthor to say.”

"Um, Supergirl was there too," a voice pipes up from behind him, and Lena tilts her head to see around his broad frame.

The girl she hadn’t even bothered to notice is blonde, shyly fiddling with her glasses, and _startlingly _pretty.

_'Nope. No. Not going there. Down that road lies ruin and an empty wine fridge.'_

"And who are you, exactly?" Lena asks, forcing a bit of a laugh into her voice as she crosses the office to pour herself a glass of water. 

"Kara, Kara Danvers. With, well, _sort of_ with _CatCo Magazine."_

"Not a publication known for its hard-hitting journalism. More 'High-waisted jeans- yes or no?'" Lena drawls as she takes her seat.

"We decided no," Kara Danvers informs her primly, though there's the ghost of a smile on her lips. She sets a small coffee cup on Lena's desk and slides it toward her. At Lena's questioning look, she grins, full and sunny and ‘_danger, danger, Will Robinson.._.’ "I've been Cat Grant's assistant for two years. I know when someone needs coffee."

Lena smirks as she settles into her chair, swiveling a bit as she takes the offered cup. Lena eyes the sort-of reporter/assistant as she takes an experimental sip. It’s perfect.

She likes this one.

Lena’s never much cared for flying, and helicopters are lower on her list of preferred transportation. Below mopeds and bicycles, in fact.

Her pilot, Joe, knows this, and gives her a pitying smile as she clambers into this… contraption. She rolls her eyes when she sees it.

“I know that flying is statistically the safest way to travel,” she says wryly, “but that doesn’t make me hate it any less.”

“I’ll take it easy on you, Miss Luthor,” Joe promises.

And then, just as they’re high enough in the air to ratchet up Lena’s anxiety, three black quad-drones hover into view.

_‘Please be a fucking joke…’_

The drones open fire. Because of course they do. Lena ducks, Joe shoving her out of view, but he himself catches a round in the chest. He drops forward onto the controls, sending the chopper teetering and whipping around dangerously, until suddenly, it stops.

Lena’s chest is heaving, her eyes wide, as Supergirl sticks her head into the cockpit. “What the _hell_ was that?!” Lena yells, ripping off her headphones.

“Someone’s trying to kill you,” Supergirl tells her, the soothing tone juxtaposed against the very _not_ soothing words.

“Yes, I’d picked up on that,” Lena snaps shakily. Her attention turns to Joe, who is groaning quietly. “Is he-”

Supergirl slowly, _slowly_ lowers the desecrated helicopter back to the roof. “He’s hurt, badly, but he’ll live if we get him to the hospital. And on that note…”

She pulls the chair- Joe, safety harness, and all- from the cockpit and is gone in a streak of red and blue, back again before Lena takes another breath. “He’s at National City General- it’s a good hospital, my sist- uh… a friend used to work there.”

Lena nods, pulling uselessly at the straps and buckles of her own harness, but her hands, embarrassingly enough, are shaking so badly that she can’t quite manage it. She lets out a watery sounds that’s half a laugh and half a sob, and suddenly, warm hands are covering her own, squeezing gently, reassuringly, before moving Lena’s hands aside and undoing the buckles for her with ease.

“There ya go,” she says, gently. “Can you get out okay?”

Lena nods jerkily and stumbles her way out of the ruined chopper. “I… thank you, Supergirl. I’m sure that saving a Luthor isn’t high on your list of priorities, but-”

“Miss Luthor,” she interrupts, soft and stern, her blue-blue eyes steady, “this city- this _planet_\- is my home, and I’m going to protect everyone I can. Whether their last name is Luthor or Smith.”

Something scratches at the back of Lena’s mind, an idea snagged and caught somewhere that she can’t bring it to the surface. Nonetheless, she flushes a bit and smiles- even Lena, jaded as she is, can feel the sincerity. “Thank you.”

Supergirl smiles at her, still soft and reassuring. “Of course. Can you get to the elevator? Because I think my little cousin could use a hand.”

Lena laughs, loud and brash and _just_ this side of hysterical. There’s something oddly endearing about her referring to Superman as her ‘little cousin’. “I think so.”

Supergirl nods, and with a half-hop is gone, shooting across the sky faster than Lena’s eyes can follow.

********

_“Kara. Kara, I need help.”_

Kara’s already moving to the window, glasses tucked into her front pocket. “I’ll be there in five minutes. I’m gonna bust a lot of windows, but-”

_“No! No, that’s not- no. Stay.”_

Kara stops, hovering a step outside her window for a moment before flying backwards into it and rolling her eyes. “Why did you say _help_ if you don’t actually want help?!”

_“No I- god, shit. So I might kinda sorta be in love-”_

Kara shrieks, surely drawing the attention of many of her neighbors.

_“Jesus! Knock that off, you’re gonna make me deaf, dummy!”_

“_You’re_ the dummy! Who? What’s her name? What does she do?”

_“I told you about her already, dork- Samantha, CFO, has a kid…”_

“A kid? You never mentioned a kid! What’s she like?”

_“Yeah her name’s_-_”_ there’s a scatter of static before Alex’s voice came back, and clearly now that she’s talking about this, she’s on a roll. _“I mean, I just… I haven’t felt this way… maybe ever? We’re gross. Like, so gross, and her daughter is just the _coolest_, Kara, you’d love her, she reminds me a lot of you.”_

“Really?”

_“Yeah- snarky and too smart for her own good.” _Alex pauses as Kara blows a loud raspberry at her. _“And I know I’m just here for a training mission for the newbies, but… I think I might ask for an extension?”_

Kara’s elation for her sister freezes like ice in her chest. “Oh.”

_“Not forever,” _Alex rushes out. _“Just- they’re moving to National City for her job in a few months anyways, so-”_

Kara sighs in relief, feeling crappy and selfish as she does. “A few months?”

_“Yeah, she’s- I guess her company is relocating, or something. They’re all hyped about it.”_

“Are you still gonna visit?”

She can hear the exasperated smile in Alex’s huff. _“Yeah, I’ll still visit.”_

“Okay. I wanna meet her.”

_“You can, but… she’s crazy busy, between being a mom, and helping run a company and planning a move, and- god, she’s just kicking ass at, like, all of it. I’m just… god.”_

Kara grins. “Sappy.”

_“Yeah,”_ Alex sighs wistfully. _“Who’d’a thunk it, huh?”_

Kara smiles faintly. “Yeah. Who’d’a thunk it?”

She can almost hear Alex’s sad half-smile. _“So, speaking of dating and love and general happiness…”_

“Al, c’mon, _no_.”

_“Nothing? I’ve been gone for weeks and nothing?”_

Kara’s mind drifts to green eyes, a white couch, red lips, and an unimpeded view of the National City skyline at sunset. “Nope.”

_“Lame.”_

Kara huffs out a laugh, “Tell me about it.”

There’s a loud clatter in the background, followed by a very young voice saying some _very_ adult words. _“Crap. I gotta go- babysitting.”_

“I see you guys have been getting close- she’s got your mouth.”

_“Yeah, and her mom’s gonna kill me. Love you, Kara.”_

“Love you too.”

***

Sam fumbles around in her purse, cussing quietly under her breath as she searches for her keys. She hadn’t meant to work so late, had really only intended for Alex to pick Ruby up from school and hang out for an hour or so after her soccer practice, _maybe_ feed her a pizza. But instead, it’s been a mad dash since three in the afternoon, between overseeing the acquisition of a small tech firm in Seoul and ensuring that the media doesn’t get any sort of ammunition for any unsavory stories about L-Corp right before the big move to National City, and she just… _fuck_, she’s tired. She finally fishes her keys from her bag and slots the correct one into the door, sighing with relief when she walks into her apartment. “Honey, I’m home!” she calls quietly, grinning in anticipation of Alex’s rolled eyes.

Her girlfriend pokes her head around the corner and offers a sheepish grin. “So, before you get mad-”

Sam starts laughing. “Oh, god, what did you two do?”

“-just know that I will totally pay for it, and Ruby is _totally_ fine, I made sure she didn’t like, step on any of the pieces, or anything, so-”

Sam’s mildly concerned now, if only because Alex is clearly a bit rattled. “Whoa whoa, hey, chill. What broke? You said it wasn’t my kid, right? Because I gotta tell ya, that’d really put a damper on any future babysitting gigs for you.”

Alex sighs, eyes big and apologetic as she holds up the handle to a vase that had once resided in the hallway. “I was on the phone with my sister, and Ruby was trying to show me this new soccer thing she learned where she throws the ball up over her foot and then catches it on the laces?” Sam already knows where this is going and bites back a grin. “But I guess she punted it instead… I am _so_ sorry, I feel really bad, I should’ve been watching her better. Just… tell me where to get it, and I’ll replace the vase ASAP.”

Sam hums thoughtfully as she takes the broken bit of pottery from Alex and examines it carefully. “Well, I have bad news, Alex. I’m afraid this is irreplaceable-” 

Alex’s face falls. “Oh.”

“Because I got it on clearance at T.J.Maxx, and it was _on_ clearance because they don’t make them anymore. Because they’re kinda ugly.”

Alex looks up, eyes hopeful. “So… not mad?”

“Not mad,” Sam confirms, reaching out and pulling Alex into a sweet kiss. “When you have an athletic kid, you learn to not to buy stuff you wouldn’t want hit with assorted sportsballs.”

“Noted. I am sorry, though; I’ll keep a better eye on her next time.”

Sam grins. “Next time? You think I should leave you two unsupervised again? Where is Ruby, anyway?” she asks, peering around in case of a surprise supersoaker attack.

“She’s asleep.”

Sam blinks rapidly, mouth dropped open slightly in disbelief. “I’m sorry, I must’ve hallucinated. Did you say she’s _asleep_?”

“Yeah, I- is she not supposed to be? I can wake her up if it-”

“Whoa!” Sam reaches out and tugs Alex into her arms. “Next rule- never wake up the kid unless you have a reason.” Alex chuckles, and with a fond squeeze Sam sets her back on her feet. “No, it’s good, I’m just surprised- it’s not even 9:30 yet.”

“Oh! Well, we did homework stuff after dinner- by the way, what even is that crazy math thing they have to learn? Like, why is that a thing? I’m a doctor and I’ve never seen shit like that.”

“Yeah, common core is a bitch.”

“Right? Augh! And then she was showing me soccer tricks, then we broke your vase, and then she wanted to see some takedown moves, so I showed her a couple really basic self-defense things. Which, I probably should’ve asked about that first, sorry, but I swear they’re _just_ to help escape in an emergency situation.”

“So, to recap; you fed her, made sure she did her homework- including the math-, took the blame when she broke something, and then wrestled her to sleep?”

“Uh… sorta?”

“Alex Danvers, you’re my hero,” Sam sighs, dropping her head onto Alex’s shoulder with a sigh.

Alex laughs quietly, rubbing a hand up and down Sam’s back. “You okay? You seem like you had a rough time, from what you were telling me earlier.”

Sam huffs. “That’s one way to put it. There was an issue with one of our subsidiaries a while back and we’re still dealing with the fallout, so we were doing financial stuff all day, and on top of overseeing the transfer from here to National City… it was a day.”

Alex nods, sympathetic. “Sorry you had a day.”

“Don’t be, you made it better,” she says, answering Alex’s smile with a kiss. “You staying here tonight?”

Alex pretends to ponder this. “Hm, curl up with my girlfriend in her ridiculously awesome bed, or stay in Bob’s Sketchy Motel with the mice and mystery stains…. That’s a toss up.” Sam snorts, and Alex grins. “You don’t think Ruby will mind?”

“Of course not, she likes you. And so do I, for the record.”

Alex heaves a relieved breath. “Well thank _god_. Be pretty awkward if you didn’t.”

“Right? Hey, is there any food left? I’m starving.”

Alex flushes slightly. “Sorta? The only thing I can actually cook is breakfast food, so we had, like, pancakes and bacon- I think there’s still some leftover if you wa- _mph_!”

Sam grins as she feels Alex melt into the sudden, passionate kiss. “I love pancakes,” she murmurs, lips still close enough to brush Alex’s. _‘And I might kinda love you, too.’_

********

Lena gnaws her lip as she stares at her phone as though it’s personally offended her. She huffs at herself and slaps it facedown on the desk.

She’s being ridiculous. Truly.

She’s _Lena Luthor._ She’s running one of the largest companies in the world, she’s rich beyond even her own belief, _and _she knows other people find her attractive. She’s- she knows all of this, logically.

That knowledge apparently has no bearing on the fact that thinking about taking Kara Danvers on a date reduces her to a bit of an idiot.

She grabs her phone again. Whatever. She’s Lena Luthor- she can ask out a _cub_ _reporter_ without being such a wreck about it.

She can do this.

She can.

She _totally_ can.

_“Miss Luthor?”_

She lets out a rather undignified noise and fumbles her cell phone for a second at the sudden interruption of the intercom. Recovering quickly, she reaches over and taps the button. “Yes, Jess?”

_“Your next appointment is here. Half an hour early.”_

Lena chuckles at the clear annoyance in her assistant’s voice. “Give me two minutes, and then send them in.”

_“Yes, Miss Luthor.”_

“And Jess? Please play nice.”

A loud huff and the intercom cuts off, leaving Lena to laugh alone in her office. With her remaining free moments in her day, she takes a breath, works up all her courage, and snags her phone, quickly typing up and hitting send on the message she’s drafted at least a dozen times this morning.

Kara Danvers   
  
**TODAY** 12:33 PM    
Kara, I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner with me?   
I hear there’s a great Asian fusion place opening on Friday, and I’d love to spend some time with you without work being involved   
!!!!!!   
Uh, YES!!!!   
  


Lena huffs out a relieved laugh and slips her phone into her desk drawer as her next appointment is ushered in. She rises with a smile. “Wonderful to see you, Bruce. Please make yourself comfortable.”

***

She’s nervous.

Which, of course she is. She hasn’t been on what anyone could call a date (no matter how generous they were feeling) since she and Sam ended. And even then, she and Sam had been friends (family, really) for years before they even started to dive into anything more than that. And then it’d been so… easy. Just like it was before, with the added benefits of regular sex and someone to go home to.

And then Lex…

And then Lex.

So yes, Lena is nervous as she waits for the elevator to crawl its way to Kara’s floor, spinning her ring round and round on her finger as it groans its way to the top. Maybe the flowers were a little over the top… whatever, she's a romantic, sue her. The elevator finally jerks to a halt, the motion sudden enough that it knocks Lena off-balance and sends her stumbling against the door.

“Shit, damn, fuck, son of a-”

“Lena?” Warm, heavy hands settle under her elbows, helping to right her again. “You okay? I should’ve warned you about the elevator- I’ve been telling the super about it for _weeks_.”

Lena blinks, recognizing that this door is _not_ a door, but is, instead, the apparently rock-hard body of her friend. She straightens up, flushed as she smoothes the wrinkles of her skirt. “Kara! Hi!”

Kara smiles, warm and bright and _god_, Lena’s gay. So very, very gay. “Hi! You didn’t have to come up, I was just on my way down to your car.” She looks Lena up and down and her eyes widen. “You look… wow. I think maybe I should go change; I feel a little underdressed.”

Lena tucks her chin and allows herself a pleased smile before taking in Kara’s outfit- dressy slacks, oxfords, and a blazer over a polka-dotted shirt. She shakes her head, raking her eyes up to Kara’s face with deliberate slowness. “You’re perfect.” She chuckles when Kara grins and adjusts her glasses. “These are for you.”

Kara’s smile widens. “Hey! These are those ones! The um… shoot, you told me the name in your office. Something with a ‘p’?”

“Plumerias,” Lena agrees. She feels a bit shy, suddenly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “You said you liked them, so I just thought…”

Kara pulls the bouquet from her hand gently, bringing it to her face and taking a deep inhale. She lets out an almost watery laugh. “I- sorry, I wanted to do that at your office, but that would’ve been weird, probably. They, um… they smell like home.” She blinks rapidly and clears her throat, avoiding the _very_ soft look Lena’s giving her. “Um, these need water? Anything like, special, or…?”

“Just water.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” She’s gone and back in less than a minute, smile back and brighter than before. “Shall we?”

As shocking as it is, the night is… nice. Nice, and Kara’s better when they’re not sequestered in Lena’s office under the guise of an interview. She’s bright and brilliant and expressive and effusive and like no one Lena’s ever met. Lena cups her chin in her hand, elbow propped up on the table, and she just _knows_ she has a big, stupid sappy smile as she watches as Kara waves her hands around animatedly, deep into telling a story about her friend Winn and a taco eating contest.

“... so there we are, twenty tacos deep, and this guy is just giving us dagger eyes. So Winn and me get to 24 and he grabs the platter of tacos and _chucks _it at us!”

Lena lets out a startled laugh. “No!”

“He did! Bounced right off my head!”

Lena leans forward and traces a thumb over the scar by Kara’s brow. "Is that where this came from?"

Kara's eyes cross as she tries to see what Lena's talking about, and Lena laughs at the goofy look of concentration. "What do y- Oh! The scar! No, I've had that since I was a kid- tripped over the hem of my rob- _skirt_. Hem of my skirt, and did a header down a couple steps. Freaked my aunt out."

"I'd imagine." Their waiter appears, and she arches an expectant eyebrow at Kara. 

“Oh! I, um, I didn’t even look yet, sorry,” she admits sheepishly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her eyes dart quickly over the menu, “Gosh, everything looks really good…”

Lena smirks and hands her menu to the waiter. “One of everything, please.” Kara gapes at her, and she attempts a wink. “Perks of going out with a billionaire.”

“Wh- Lena, _no_, that’s way too much, you really don’t have to-”

“Will it make you uncomfortable, or will it make you happy?” Lena asks.

_“Both,” _Kara huffs at her, but she’s fighting a smile, so Lena nods her confirmation to their (very patient) waiter and he hurries off. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.”

Lena shrugs easily. “I want to; it’s not very often I get an excuse to try everything on a menu, let alone with such good company.”

Kara’s lips quirk up into a teasing smile. “Who said I was gonna share?”

Lena’s loud, surprised laugh disturbs the other guests, but she quite honestly couldn’t care less.

“Oh my _god_, I… I actually think I ate too much,” Kara groans, flopping dramatically back into the plush booth, grinning when Lena huffs a laugh at her.

“But you only had three and a half plates of food, how can that be?” Lena teases.

They’d ended up creating their own buffet, of sorts, spreading their massive order across the table and picking at them at their leisure. The chef had made an appearance at their table and even brought out something special for them, seemingly delighted at the way Kara was gushing over his food. Lena had just… watched, knowing how moony and ridiculous she must seem, smiling over something as simple as being on a date with a girl she likes like this. And in public, no less.

But whatever. She’s in her 20’s- she’s allowed to be moony and ridiculous every now and again.

She smiles at their waiter as he takes the check from her and slides a bit closer to Kara, chancing sitting close enough that their hips and legs are pressed against each other and going warm and fuzzy when Kara hums at the contact. She licks her lips and clears her throat. “Thank you, for saying yes to tonight.”

Kara smiles at her, sleepy and food-drunk and just _very_ cute. “You don’t have to thank me, Lena, this has been great. I like spending time with you.”

Lena feels herself flush. “Oh.” 

“Yeah, actually, um, if you want- I know we just ate… _everything_, but there’s a really great ice cream place a couple blocks away, and it’s really nice out tonight…”

Lena smirks a bit. “Are you saying you want to go get ice cream?”

“I am saying that, yes. But also, just… this is fun. It’s been a while since I had a night like this, and I kinda wanna keep it going. So if you don’t want ice cream, we could just walk around, or like, hang out, or- god, sorry, am I being weird?”

“No! No, you’re not. And I agree- I haven’t had this much fun in a very long time,” Lena assures her. She slides out of the booth and smiles. “Lead the way.”

Kara was right, the ice cream is delicious, though Lena opts for a single scoop as opposed to the actual monstrosity that Kara had gotten and is offering Lena bites of every time she reaches a new flavor. And now Lena’s in the (un)enviable position of trying to behave on a date while watching Kara eat ice cream in what _has to be_ slow motion. Jesus.

They’re walking through a park and talking about nothing and it’s just… it’s good, in a way Lena hasn’t felt in a very, _very_ long time. One of those perfect city nights where the air is warm and heady with the smell of lilacs and endless possibility, and it might be the air, it might be the entire night, but it’s probably just Kara the causes Lena to stop, step into Kara’s space, take the ice cream from her hand, and kiss her under a streetlight.

A panicked squeak leaves Kara’s throat, and Lena stumbles backward in a panic of her own. “Was… I’m so sorry, did you not-”

“You kissed me!”

“I- yes? I’m sorry, just- I thought this date was going well, and-”

Kara’s eyes widen to a point that’d be comical in other circumstances. “I- oh my god, we’re on a date. This is a date. Is it a date? You got me flowers, it’s totally a date.”

Lena’s heart sinks. “You didn’t know. Oh my god.”

“I-” Kara looks ready to combust from awkwardness, and suddenly it seems she does- with a blast of air, Lena is left alone with two ice cream cones and the sight of Supergirl flying away at high speed. Which-

God.

_God._

_Oh god._

Lena sighs closing her eyes before casting about for a place to throw away the rapidly melting ice creams and finding none. “Well, fuck.”

***

Sam   
  
**TODAY** 11:19 PM    
Hey! Haven’t talked to you in a few days   
  
Please tell me you aren’t still sleeping on the couch in your office   
  
National City is great, go live a little Maybe ask out the pretty reporter you're mildly obsessed with!   
  
No.   
  
???   
  
Uh... okay, any reason why beyond your usual hermit attitude?   
  
I had a date tonight   
With the pretty reporter, actually.   
!!!   
That's great!!   
Yeah, no.   
What's the matter, no chemistry?   
She was unaware that it was a date.   
😂😂😂😂   
WHAT   
HOW   
God   
We should start by stating that I'm a moron   
Not news to me, but go on   
  
🖕   
Fuck OFF   
Ok ok, sorry   
You're a moron. Next?   
I feel stupid typing sigh, but   
sigh   
Aw, honey...   
Hang on, I want popcorn for this story   
Brb   
Sam, I swear to god...

***

Lena is strongly considering the merits of not choosing between whiskey and wine and instead just pouring them both into a pint glass and seeing what happens when she hears a tap on her window. She turns to see a very dishevelled, sheepish-looking Kara Danvers standing on her balcony, wringing her hands. 

Or, well Supergirl.

Both? 

God. Fuck.

She sighs and pads over, unlocking the door and nodding the blonde in. “I suppose you have paperwork, for me to fill out. NDAs and the like.”

“I, um, probably. But I kinda wanted to talk to you first? About… stuff.”

Lena snorts, settling onto the couch. “Is stuff where you didn’t realize we were on a date, where _I_ didn’t realize you were Supergirl, or is it something else?”

“All three?” Kara hedges, sitting on the same couch.

Lena sighs. She is _way_ too sober for this. “Okay, sure, Kara, let’s talk.”

“So…”

“So.”

Kara huffs. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t- leaving like that was _not_ cool, and that’s definitely not the way I wanted to tell you about, y’know. Me.”

Lena cocks her head curiously. “You had a preferred method?”

“Well yeah, I mean… I haven’t known you for very long, but I just really- I felt like I could tell you, someday. Like it’d be okay. Does that make any sense?”

And it does. Because of course Kara can’t tell just _anyone_, there has to be that trust. And it’s… oddly flattering that Lena has that, against all odds. “I understand why you didn’t, Kara. Between us not knowing each other long, and my last name-”

“That was _never_ a factor,” Kara tells her firmly, reaching over to squeeze Lena’s hands. “You’re not your family, Lena.”

And the weight of that, knowing what she knows now, settles warm in her chest. “Oh.”

“Yeah. I was- I tried not to lie, just so you know. Like, there’s a couple things, obviously, but if you want we can like, do all that again, full honesty. Scout’s honor.”

Lena quirks a brow, amused. “Were you ever a scout?”

Kara’s brow furrows. “No, why?”

Lena laughs fondly, unable to help herself. “No reason.”

“And I’m- crap, I’m sorry I didn’t realize that was a date, I’m so dumb about stuff like that; when I was younger I had a crush on this girl for like, an entire summer, and I didn’t even realize she liked girls until she kissed me one night.”

Lena snorts, able to picture a young, very confused Kara in a very similar situation to the one they’ve found themselves in. “Well I’m sorry that I wasn’t more clear.”

“No, no, you were plenty clear, I’m just an idiot,” Kara chuckles.

“Still. And I should’ve asked, before kissing you. I just got caught up, I guess, and-”

“I would’ve said yes.”

Lena’s mouth drops open. “I- what?”

“If you’d asked to kiss me, I would’ve said yes.”

Lena laughs shakily. “Kara, you didn’t even realize it was a _date_.”

“I still would’ve said yes.” She smiles shyly, tipping her head to the side. “I do like you, y’know. I was just… _very _surprised. I didn’t know you- I mean, I didn’t think you’d be interested in me.”

“Well, I am. Obviously.”

“And, um. The other thing, does that…? I mean, I’d totally get it if that’s, like, a dealbreaker, or-”

“It’s not.” Lena turns her hands over so she’s holding Kara’s. “You’re still you. And I like _you_, Kara Danvers.”

“Zor-El. Kara Zor-El.” Big, bright blue eyes meet hers, the very beginnings of a smile pulling up at Kara’s lips. “So are you gonna ask?”

Lena’s fighting a smile of her own as she pretends to think on this. “I don’t know… I asked you out, brought you flowers, paid for dinner, _and_ I kissed you first. I think it’s your turn to make a move, Supergirl.”

Kara rolls up onto her knees, one hand on the back of the couch, the other coming to play with a strand of Lena’s hair before cupping her cheek. “Lena,” she says softly, face so very _very_ close... “I’d _really_ like to kiss you.”

“That’s not aski- mmm…”

_‘Teasing,’_ Lena decides when Kara’s lips brush feather light over her own, _‘is overrated.’_

********

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s great. Yeah, that’s super sweet of her. Okay, I- I’m go- I’m gonna g- I’mgonnagoloveyoubye!” 

Sam chuckles as Alex settles into bed, scooping her close. "Hey, sorry. Sister stuff."

"No problem. What's the infamous younger Danvers up to now?"

"Oh, she had another date with her mystery girl and wanted to tell me all about it. Apparently she likes this girl, whoever she is. It's been a couple months and all I hear is 'she's so great,' 'she's got such a good heart,' 'you guys will be such good friends,' blah, blah, blah."

"Well, if your sister is anything like you, then that girl is a lucky one," Sam murmurs, pressing a kiss to Alex's shoulder and pulling her closer.

Alex hums quietly. "She better _know_ she's lucky- she wouldn't tell me anything about her! How am I supposed to give a shovel talk if I can't do _research_?"

Sam yawns. "Guess you'll have to be scary on your own merits, babe."

Alex pouts. "Fine. When we're in town next month, I'm making Kara bring her to brunch. Make it a double date, or whatever."

Sam, mostly asleep, hums, "Sounds great, sweetheart. Now go to sleep."

***

"Good news! Alex is gonna be in town in a few weeks!" Kara says, jumping into the air and belly-flopping gracelessly onto the couch. 

Lena smiles indulgently, sweeping the wild blonde hair out of her face and grinning down at her. "That's great! What are you two planning? More hiking?"

"Probably. But, she said she wants to meet you, actually."

Lena's hand goes still in Kara's hair. "_Oh_."

Kara scrambles upright, taking Lena's hand in hers."We don't have to, if you don't want. Actually, it's supposed to be like a double date with her and _her _new girlfriend, so I just thought it'd be less pressure? But if that's not-"

"No, Kara, it's fine, I promise. I _absolutely_ want to meet your sister, I promise. I'm just not great with, you know, _families_. I tend to leave an impression, just not always the one I want to."

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, Alex can be a total brat, sometimes, and she likes to pretend that she's scary, but I'll be right there, holding your hand the whole time, okay? And I won't let her be a jerk to you, I promise. Not even if she acts like it's a joke."

Lena looks up into Kara's earnest, _hopeful _blue eyes and feels herself relax, just a bit. Kara doesn't sugarcoat anything, ever, and that absolute naked honesty paired with her ability to back up what she says never fails to win her over all over again. "Do you think they'd like _Argent's_ or _Jones_ better? Because if it's _Jones_, we should make a reservation for brunch..."

Kara bounces happily on the couch, darting forward to kiss Lena's smiling lips. "Three weeks. The weekend of the 12th. And _Jones. _Definitely _Jones_."

"Alright, I'll set it up."

***

_"Lena! Where are my glasses?"_

Lena rolls her eyes fondly as she adjusts her collar in the mirror. "In here, on the sink."

Kara appears behind her, clearly frazzled, and upon seeing her glasses slumps a bit in relief. "Thank frickin' Rao. I've been looking _everywhere_ for them!" She plucks them from Lena's fingers and wraps her arms around her middle, nuzzling into her neck with a dopey smile. "What would I do without you?"

Lena shrugs. "Starve. Get easily identified as your alter-ego. Probably have a lot less sex."

Kara snorts, nipping at Lena's earlobe a bit as she pulls away. _"Behave."_

Lena smiles, meeting Kara’s lips in a kiss. "Fine. I know you're nervous about today, but-"

"I'm not _nervous, _I'm excited! I hate that Alex lives so far away right now, and every time she comes to visit, this 'girlfriend' is mysteriously busy for days at a time! And it's annoying because you and Alex are like, the only people on earth without social media. Like how do you even _do_ that?"

"We probably both read the paper and watch the news," Lena snarks, squeaking when Kara digs her fingers into her sides in retaliation.

"Yeah, yeah, you're both old nerds, I know." Kara presses a kiss to Lena's nose, laughing when it crinkles. "But for real, I'm super excited for you to meet Alex. Are _you_ nervous?"

Lena bobbles her head a bit with a smile. "Maybe a little, but I mean, she's your hero, she can't be _so_ terrible."

"She's the best," Kara confirms. "You guys are gonna get along great. You're both smart and passionate and _stubborn_."

Lena huffs, pushing Kara a bit. "I am _not_ stubborn. Other people are just _wrong_."

"Whatever you say."

***

Alex huffs, checking her watch _again_. "Why is she _always_ late?" Alex mutters. "Little sisters are actually the worst. She's been on her way for like 20 minutes. Her apartment is a block away."

Sam chuckles, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple. "She's barely late, hon. Besides _her_ apartment might be a block away, but if the _girlfriend _lives further out, then-

"_No_. Do not finish that sentence."

Sam laughs and shrugs, going back to perusing the menu. "What does your sister drink?"

"Fruity bullshit, mostly."

"How about the girlfriend? What do we know about her?"

Alex sighs. "Young, smart, some sorta high-power corporate suit, from what Kara's let slip."

"A corporate suit? Sounds _awful_," Sam groans exaggeratedly. "Anyone in a C-level position is _definitely _a pain in the ass."

Alex rolls her eyes, conceding the point to her CFO girlfriend. "Fine. What do corporate suits drink at brunch?"

"I'm always on board for a Bloody Maria, but the only other suit I brunch with likes an Old Fashioned. Worst case scenario, you drink it and she gets something else."

"I like that plan."

"I figured you would. So, your sister's a-"

"Sorry! Sorry we're late, there's like a marathon or something uptown, traffic was a hot mess. Lena's dealing with the valet-"

Wait.

Sam _knows_ that voice.

She looks up to see Kara Sorrel striding up to their table and scooping Alex into a tight embrace. _"Kara?"_

Kara's eyes fly open. "Oh my g- Sam?! Hi! Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you!" She releases Alex from their hug and moves to Sam, wrapping her up in a hug of her own.

Sam laughs, thumping her on the back. "God, it's been, what, ten years?!"

"I know! Gosh, you look _great_! It's so nice to see you! How's Ruby? She must be like, 13 now?"

"Just about, and she's great, as always. Still too smart for her own good."

Kara laughs and nods in agreement. "Sounds about right."

"So, I take it you two have met…?" Alex observes wryly.

"Yeah! Sam was- oh. Oh _no_."

"So you go by Danvers, now," Sam chuckles as realization starts to dawn on her.

"Yeah, I do. Oh my _go_-"

"Sorry, the transmission has been acting up, I think the last valet went joyriding."

And Sam freezes, because she _definitely _knows that voice.

She doesn't notice Alex do the same beside her.

Kara beams and turns around, throwing an arm around Lena's shoulders and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Hey, this is-"

"Lena."

She turns to look at them and her eyes widen comically. "Oh, you're fucking _kidding_."

“Yeah, this is Lena, my… girlfriend,” Kara's brow furrows. “What?” The other three are staring at one another with no small degree of horror. “Why are you all being weird? I know why _I’m_ being weird, but…”

Lena blinks rapidly. “Wait, why are _you_ being weird?”

“Uh…”

Alex’s eyes are comically wide as she gapes at Lena. “_You’re_ the high-powered suit?” She turns to her sister and sets about slapping her about the head and arms. “You’re dating _Lena_ _goddamn_ _Luthor_ and you didn’t _tell me_?!”

“Why are we hitting?” Kara shouts.

“Hey, Lena, good to see you,” Sam says genially, a shit-eating grin on her face. “I see you’ve met my girlfriend, Alex.”

“Shut up, Sam.”

The hostess approaches cautiously. “Um, your table is ready, but ah, you’re going to have to sit outside, because you’re disturbing the other guests.”

“It’s _October_,” Lena sneers.

“It’s _southern California_,” Kara jibes, giving the beleaguered hostess a dazzling smile. “Please, lead the way.”

Once they’re alone on the patio, silence- heavy, _awkward_ silence- descends. They all study the menus thoroughly until finally Kara lets hers drop to the table with a huff.

“So, are we just gonna keep being weird or are we gonna talk? Because I, for one, am very excited to see m sister. _And_ Sam, who is going to tell me everything about Ruby.”

Sam smiles and opens her mouth before Lena interrupts. “Wait… do you know Sam and Ruby? I don’t think I’ve mentioned them…”

“Wow, hurtful.”

Kara’s brow furrows again. “Well, yeah, isn’t… isn’t that why we’re being all weird? Because Sam and I used to date?”

Lena’s eyebrows have risen nearly to her hairline, as have Alex’s. “I’m sorry, what?”

Their waiter appears, dropping off their drinks, and Alex waves him over to her side and slips him a $50 bill. “I don’t know or care what anyone is drinking, but what I need for you to do is to keep bringing everyone at this table drinks. As soon as you see that there is a notable lack of drink in any of these glasses, bring another round.”

He nods, clearly concerned, but not quite enough to risk the honey of a tip he just got before hustling back inside.

Kara hastens to explain. “Yeah, I mean, it was what, ten years ago, now? We were kids, sorta, but yeah. She stayed in the house across the street from us-”

“And Kara was the lifeguard at the beach Ruby and I went to every day,” Sam continues, fixing Kara with a warm smile. “Of course, she went by Kara _Sorrel_ back then, and she never told me she _changed _it, so I didn’t think anything of dating Alex _Danvers_.”

Kara snorts. “Yeah, alright, my bad. But seriously, it’s really great to see you. I lost your number a few years ago, when I got a new phone, but- I’m really happy you’re doing so good. And dating Alex! That’s _nuts_!”

“You too, Kara,” Sam says. She shifts her attention to Lena and grins. “And it seems to be a reunion of my exes today. Right, Lena?”

Kara lets out a loud bark of a laugh. “Oh _no_!”

“Oh yes.”

Kara’s rolling with laughter. “That’s hilarious. And totally makes sense. Oh my god, Thanksgiving is gonna be so _weird_!” she says, eyes sparkling with mirth.

Sam joins her laughter, and Alex and Lena are the only ones to seemingly grasp what an overwhelming _disaster _this lunch already is.

“You dated my girlfriend,” Alex says tonelessly.

Kara winces. “Sorry…? But like, in my defense-”

Alex holds up a hand. “If the words you’re forming are _any_ variation of ‘I got there first’, Kara, I swear to your god…”

Kara’s mouth quickly snaps shut.

“Are you okay? Do we need to talk?” Sam asks, voice pitched low so it won’t carry across the table.

“No, it’s just, I kinda need to process that. In my brain.” Alex waves Kara’s concern away easily and drops her head to her hand. “My sister and my girlfriend dated.”

Lena snorts. “Oh, like _you’re_ so innocent.”

Alex looks up to glare daggers at her, and it’s then that Lena realizes she’s made a mistake. Because while she and Sam had an actual loving relationship, and Kara and Sam had also had something real between them, her history with Alex is… _less_ of a cute story.

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Kara asks.

Lena hesitates, and Alex snorts, flipping her hand in Lena’s direction. “Since she’s so eager to share, I’m sure she’d love to tell you.”

Lena glares and sighs. Sam quickly picks up on the source of their mutual discomfort.

“Oh, no fuckin’ way…”

Lena sighs. This is absolutely _not_ the ‘meet the family’ moment she wanted to have with Kara’s sister. Or with anyone. Ever.

“Alex and I… _also_ know each other. We went to grad school together.”

“Oh! Right, of course you would’ve! Gosh, I never even thought about that, you guys went to the same nerd school, and… yeah, I guess it would’ve been around the same time, ‘cause Lena’s like a _nerd_ nerd… So were you guys friends, or something?”

Sam snorts. “Oh, honey…”

_“No.”_

“Or something.”

Alex and Lena frown at each other across the table. Kara is still adorably confused. Sam is wheezing with laughter. “Oh, Kara, sweetheart- they, is it cool if I just sorta take mercy on her, at this point?” When she receives mute nods of assent, Sam clears her throat. “Kara, they fucked.”

Kara blinks, eyes squinty as she seems to absorb this and gradually rounding to the size of saucers as she comprehends it. “Oh no.”

“Kara-”

“Oh _no_.”

“Look, it was years ago, and-”

“It was _not_ a relationship, _at all_, it was-”

“Nope! No, just- Nope.” Kara says, scrunching up her face. “I’m- it’s totally fine, but _please_ never tell me anything about it. Either of you. _Ever_.”

“I second the motion,” Sam agrees, raising her mostly-empty glass in a toast and grinning when it’s plucked from her hand and replaced with a full one by their very diligent waiter. “No way do I wanna talk about any of that- _ever_. Except… Ha! Lena, we’ve dated everyone at this table except for ourselves!”

Lena, having found some of her bravado somewhere at the bottom of her second old fashioned, quirks a brow with a smirk. “Considering how many times I’ve wined and dined myself and then had a nice night with a vibrator, I would argue that your statement is inaccurate.”

Alex snorts whiskey out her nose.

“So, wait, college… _somethings_. Right?”

Alex and Lena look at each other and have their first silent conversation in over a decade. Seeming to come to an agreement, Lena nods. “That term is… accurate.”

“And It was when Alex and I weren’t talking, so it would’ve been right around the time _Sam_ and I were together! That’s so funny!”

“Is it?” Alex asks, tone beyond skeptical. “_Is_ it funny, Kara?”

“Yeah, because-” Kara freezes, an odd look crossing her face as she turns in her chair to fully face her sister. “Oh- oh my god. You weren’t lying, were you? It was _Lena_.”

Lena herself frowns. “Look, I know this is weird- for _literally_ everyone at this table- but ‘lying’ seems a bit harsh. We’ve been pretty upfront about this…”

Alex, for reasons unknown, flushes several worrying shades of red. “Kara, please. Shut. Up.”

Kara is still staring. “I didn’t believe you, I totally thought you were full of it. Holy crap. Ho-lee _crap_!”

“Care to share with the rest of the class?” Sam drawls.

Kara keeps staring. “So, like, _years_ ago, Alex was crashing with me, and we had a bunch of friends over for a game night, and we were playing drinking games with, um… this weird foreign liquor she found. And someone said we should play ‘I Never’.”

“That’s always a promising start to a trainwreck story. Continue.”

“So we’re playing, and it got _weird_-”

“Even more promising.”

Lena kicks Sam under the table.

“-so we’re playing, and someone said, _‘I never had sex with a celebrity’_. And Alex drank.”

Sam snorts loudly.

Lena looks vaguely on the edge of having a stroke. “What.”

“And _then_, we all wanted to know who and when and where and, like, _who_, but she wouldn’t say, and someone said _‘I never lost my virginity to a celebrity_’. And Alex drank...”

“I _took your virginity_?!” Lena yells.

Sam is fully crying laughing. “You think Lena’s a _celebrity_?!”

Alex is, understandably, mortified. “I am going to _murder_ you.”

Kara throws her hands up in surrender. “They asked!”

The waiter appears, and Alex snatches her drink from him as she glowers at her sister. “Just wait until training tomorrow.”

“So, Kara, on that note, I always wondered; did I…?”

“Nope! You and I are clear of the awkwardness.”

Same smirks teasingly. “What makes you think I wasn’t?”

Kara gapes and flounders for a moment before, “Because you had a toddler!”

“Oh yeah…”

There’s a moment of dread when Kara and Sam both head off to the bathroom, reminiscing and joking as their easy friendship picks back up. This, of course, leaves Lena and Alex alone at the table. An awkward silence descends, hanging until both parties are too uncomfortable to let it continue.

“So how’ve you-”

“Did you end up-”

They pause and look at each other before a relieved laugh leaves them both.

“Well, good thing this isn’t awkward, huh?” Alex drawls, grinning that easy smile Lena’d so rarely seen when they were in school, and it makes the air a little clearer between them when Lena laughs in response.

“Not at all.” She studies Alex, sees how much more at ease she is with herself in how she sits, speaks, smiles… “You look really good.”

“You do too,” Alex tells her sincerely. 

“You know, I had this whole plan mapped out for how to impress you, get you to like me, approve of Kara and I despite… _everything_. And now I have to admit, I’m at a bit of a loss.”

Alex barks out a laugh. “God, me too. Like, what’s the protocol, here? Do- we were never dating, so there wasn’t really a _breakup_, and the end part wasn’t bad at all. It’s just…”

“A very weird situation?”

“_Very_ weird.”

“God. Good to know we’re both so emotionally well-equipped.”

“Yeah, fuck. Like, okay, _they_ make sense,” Alex says, gesturing into the restaurant in the direction that Kara and Sam had gone. “They’re booth all touchy-feely and aware and, y’know-”

“Warm, yeah,” Lena agrees. “They do make sense.”

“They’re totally gonna run away together, huh?”

They both laugh at this. “Probably. It’ll be our fault, though.”

“Oh, for sure, we’re morons,” Alex says. “We’re both punching out of our weight class, aren’t we?”

Lena laughs loudly. “Oh, absolutely. But at least we know it. I’ve _no_ idea what they’re thinking.”

“Maybe _they’re _the idiots,” Alex muses. She fidgets for a moment, clearly considering something, before she looks up again. “Also, not related, but I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry about your brother. I know you guys were close, and that- it sucks. I wanted to text you, check in, but it’d been so long that I didn’t wanna… I wasn’t sure if I should. We were never exactly _friends_.”

Lena hums in thanks, fingers drumming on her glass. “I was kind of a witch to you, wasn’t I? When we were… whatever we were.”

“I don’t think that’s the word I’d use,” Alex snorts. At Lena’s unimpressed (but amused) glare, she shrugs. “We both knew what we were getting into; there’s no hard feelings, and there weren’t back then, either.”

“Still, I don’t like that I was… unkind to you.”

“I seem to recall you being _very_ kind to me-”

“Oh my god,” Lena laughs. 

Alex grins. “But I get what you’re saying. So I have an idea.”

“What’s that?”

“I have the sinking feeling that we’re gonna be in each other’s lives for a _very_ long time, so it’d probably be for the best if we were friends. Because like, okay, I know we weren’t before, but we’re both older and less horny now-”

“Speak for yourself.”

“_Gross_. But okay, fair. Less horny _for each other_ now, so I think we could pull it off. Plus, it’s probably a good idea, so that one of us does something stupid the other one can help, y’know? What do you say, Luthor?” she asks, extending her hand across the table with a smile. “Friends?”

Lena shakes it decisively. “Friends.”

“Excellent. And, Lena? For the record, for whatever it’s worth, you have my approval, or blessing, or whatever.”

“Pretty sure I’m supposed to get that from the father, Alex,” Lena drawls, sipping at the last dregs of her drink.

“Eh, the bylaws state that in the absence of a father, the butch older sister will do.”

Lena sprays her drink, wheezing with laughter. “Alex, I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful and weird friendship.”

Alex grins and winks. “Back atcha.”

***

Sam leans against the bar, watching through the window as Alex and Lena finally seem to relax and shake hands. “It’s been a while, Kara. How long do you think they’ll believe we’re still in the bathroom instead of spying?”

Kara shrugs easily, smiling when she sees them laugh. “Dunno. Probably not much longer.”

Sam elbows her gently. “I know things got kinda… sidetracked earlier, but I want you to know that Alex and me… I’m serious about it, and about her.”

“I can tell,” Kara says with a smile. “You guys are gonna be good for each other.”

“I like to think so. Same for you and Lena- she… She needs someone like you, to brighten up her dark places, and you-”

“-need somebody to let me have mine,” Kara finishes softly. Her heart melts as her sister and girlfriend laugh themselves silly. “We’re gonna marry them, aren’t we?”

Sam huffs out a laugh. “God, I hope so.”

Kara leans over, knocking their shoulders together gently, and together they head back out into the sun and whatever futures may lie ahead of them.

If nothing else, they’ll be in good company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from a poem about friendships;  
"New friends may be poems but old friends are alphabets.   
Don't forget the alphabets because you will need them to read the poems."
> 
> So this took longer to work out than I wanted, but its also far and away one of my favorite things I've ever written, so... balance?  
As always I love hearing from you all, and I'm happy to see you in this new year!


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